


The Ligature Café

by BeinBein



Category: Actor RPF, British Actor RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Ghosts in plain day, Writer!Chris
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-02
Updated: 2012-11-02
Packaged: 2017-11-17 14:32:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/552603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeinBein/pseuds/BeinBein
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Came one late morning when he was writing a review for a gallery had he noticed that man. Chris called him Rhinestone- after his strange bright blue eyes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Ligature Café

**  
**

“Did you see him?” Chris leaned over the table, muttering to Luke as the lanky man came by. He wore a dapper look that was not from this time, but then again Chris was neither well versed in fashion nor it’s various eras to know any better.  
  
“What? I didn’t notice anyone.”  Luke swiveled his body to look around the bistro slowly, eyes searching but found no one of Chris’ description. To which he had specified: an apparently sharp dressed man whom wore a taupe suit with his dark brown hair combed back to tame rebellious curls.  
  
“I think he walked to sit down over there!” He whispered harshly, stabbing his finger at his own shoulder to disguise his accusing finger. His elder brother stared in the general direction of the many symmetrically designed coffee booths. Unable to find anyone, he shrugged and went back to his latte. “He must have left.” He said dismissively, deciding that Chris must either had very sharp eyes or was hallucinating.

 

The café he frequently patronized was called The Ligature, a typographic term for two consecutive characters conjoined for the ease of printing. An apparently disappearing characteristic in the books read by the café’s various leisurely visitors, whom spent hours upon hours living it up in the once luxurious space. The old owner maintained it’s geometric art deco décor with minor upgrades in a desperate manner of creating a niche space for eccentric patrons and history enthusiasts.  
  
Chris went there for tea or lunches after being introduced to it by an artist he interviewed for his news column a few months ago and had became a regular since. Whenever he felt in the mood to relax, escape the ridiculously fast paced world or write, this was his sanctuary because time felt like it slowed down in the very space. Then came one late morning when he was writing a review for a gallery had he noticed that man. Chris called him Rhinestone- after his strange bright blue eyes.  
  
Rhinestone was there almost every time that Chris was. He wore the same taupe colored suit every single time, with a white dress shirt and no tie. He seemed out of the place anywhere else but the café, but that was the odd thing; he looked very much like he belonged. Chris had seen him so much that he knew Rhinestone’s routine. He would stroll in with his long fingered hands in his pockets and a cigarette in his mouth and killed it the moment he sat down in the glass table ashtray. Rhinestone would always sit at the same place, in the second last booth near the large glass window spanning the store, barely in everyone’s peripheral vision. If Chris was not wrong the cigarette was always killed half way, in what looked like a half-hearted attempt to stop smoking. Rhinestone would then spend his time staring out the window, his mouth in a thin frown and eyebrows furrowed.

 

Chris was never able to find a seat in the café where he could conveniently study the man. The few times he did, Rhinestone did not drop by the café. He remembered the one time he walked by the man, when he wanted to use the men’s room and managed to steal a glance. He was drinking black coffee that day and was running a hand slowly over his sleeked back hair. When Chris came out from the rest room the man had already left. His luck was impeccable, just like his ability to hunt down good sources for his stories.

 

Which reminded Chris about his job. He was on the border of getting fired for not having decently interesting enough articles in his dry lifestyle column of the business paper. He had decided to visit the café one grey morning after being brow beaten to get himself sorted out and saw Rhinestone sitting at his usual spot at the second last booth. Feeling arbitrary, he bought his coffee and walked up to Rhinestone’s booth and sitting down opposite him.

 

“Am I bothering you? The place is rather empty today, not quite in the mood for the silence.” He smiled at the man, who blinked at him and stared with discontent eyes. He was very busy staring at the empty street and enjoying his espresso, thank you very much.

 

“Yes.” He said simply, a gentle voice came with his speech. Before Chris could try to be suave and cajole him into changing his mind, he continued. “But then again, it’s not like you would be willing to move so, carry on.” He sighed and shrugged, leaning back into his seat.

 

His pale blue eyes scrutinized Chris and showing his discreet dislike of his mildly crumpled white dress shirt and skinny tie. Chris sat there in pressing silence with his eyes adverted in a poor attempt to take up Rhinestone’s hobby of staring at the streets and it’s commuters. Rhinestone looked like he was holding back the urge to criticize his offensive taste of clothing and resolved to transcribe it through his stare. Growing bored after awhile, albeit Chris’ relief, he took out another cigarette.  
  
“Let me,” Chris offered out of his arbitrary mood and took the silver zippo lighter out of his long fingers, flicking it for him. Rhinestone let out a laugh at the patronizing gesture, breaking out of his hostility slightly. His tongue was resting at the edge of his teeth, almost sticking out when he laughed. “So what’s your name, Lad?” He queried as he leaned forward, lighting his cigarette on the flame. Chris got a good look at the gold print ‘Marlboro’ on the joint and Rhinestone’s dark eyelashes.  He also smelt of expensive cologne, Chris was not surprised if Rhinestone was in fact a model for some luxury brand.  “Chris.” He grinned, eyes crinkling up at the corners. “And yours?” He gestured with the lighter as he placed it down. “Hiddleston.” He answered, smiling in an almost snide manner, as though he had told Chris a lewd joke.  
  
“Well nice to meet you, Hiddleston.” He chuckled, leaving it on the table in case Rhinestone decided to change his mind, but he seemed to take no notice. Hiddleston was a suiting name for such a dapper man, but he preferred calling him Rhinestone.  
  
“I suppose the pleasure’s mine.” Rhinestone replied smoothly, blowing out short puffs of smoke as he got the cigarette burning properly.  There was a certain politeness to his words even though he was dealing with an uninvited guest. This was new to Chris whom expected to be told to sod off and bother someone else. He observed the man as he turn to gaze at the sidewalk, a smartly dressed woman was sauntering by.  
  
“I see you here a lot.” Chris observed, staring at the cup of coffee in his hand, which was oddly enough a different design from Rhinestone’s. His was a white fine boned china cup on a saucer, while Chris had a typical ceramic mug. This was odd since the café did not seem to be inconsistent with their tableware.  
“I see you here a lot too, Christopher.” Rhinestone replied easily, not bothering to look away from the window.

“Should I feel complimented then?” Chris tried as he sat a little more up right, feeling rather surprised that someone he noticed had noticed him too. “If you want to be.” Rhinestone chuckled, eyes flickering to Chris briefly before returning to the window.  
  
“Did you get in an argument? You’re always sitting here, looking so gloomy.” Chris teased as he continued his discreet study of the man. Rhinestone did seem he had plenty of problems, likely linked to women. He had a classic charm and handsome features. It would be no surprise if he had many suitors. Ages of analyzing people for his job seemed to be paying off for once.  
  
“Yes,I did get in one.” Hiddleston nodded, eyebrows raised in pleasant surprise at Chris’ accurate guess. “Rather feisty darling of a woman, but she got on my nerve one time too many.”  A thin veil of smoke slid through thin lips as he sighed. “I can tell you she’s a real looker, but she’s been a wreck as of late. Complaining I don’t have time for her.” He continued on, glancing at Chris briefly from time to time as he spoke.

 

“We’re both men, and you’re a fine one, sans your lack of a proper shirt and coat. You know how women get don’t you?” He went on, stubbing out his half finished cigarette and drinking his coffee.  
  
“I guess so?” Chris shrugged. He had a handful of girlfriends in his time. And even then they were not ‘wrecks’ and he had parted on good terms with almost all of them. He thought about the model he interviewed recently, Elsa. Chris had tried to make a pass at her and was gracefully turned downed. He couldn’t blame her of course, who would want a man with crummy pay like himself?

 

“There you have it. I have a business to run for goodness sakes.” He laughed in exasperation at his situation, his knuckles resting on his thin lips. “You don’t make hundred of thousands every month just sitting there. And the economy is not the least bit shining right now.” Rhinestone went on and on, and Chris just kept listening.

 

Rhinestone was apparently rather accomplished, being his own boss even though he was only a few years older then Chris. His first name was actually Thomas, but he encouraged Chris to call him Tom. He dappled with lighter manufacturing, retail brands and departmental stores. He spoke beyond his years, of the overly complex nature of women and the tedium of their economy. But Rhinestone wasn’t all that glitters, he was also troubled by his gambling habits and wavering company value in the very depleting economy. Even though so, he gave Chris words of encouragement for his career, reminding him to work hard as “Life had its way of giving you little perks to prevent you from putting a gun to your head, the way I see it.”

  
Realizing that perhaps he was being too cordial, Chris looked down at his watched to check the time. He had a good quarter of an hour before he had to interview a new Japanese lifestyle shop a few blocks away. “Well I better be off, I’ve got to get down to work in awhile.”  He excused himself as he downed his coffee, taking his sling bag in hand. “Sure, you’ve been a good therapist.” Rhinestone smiled, his mood improved immensely after sharing his burdens with Chris.  
  
“Well alright, I’ll see you around Tom.” Chris laughed, taking the lighter that Rhinestone left on the counter to hand it to him. “Perhaps, and you can keep it if you like,” Rhinestone said with eyes gleaming in the brightening sky as the grey clouds faded. “It’s nice knowing you, Christopher.”  
  
“You too, Tom.” He laughed as he got up. He took a few steps before glancing back briefly, but Rhinestone wasn’t there looking back at him. “Sneaky fella.” Chris muttered to himself as he walked out, figuring that he slipped into the washroom since it was so near by. He stared down at the lighter in his hand, tarnished silver with Rhinestone’s initials. T.H on both sides with a fancy flourish below it, classic to the last detail.

As he was leaving, Chris noticed a new face he could recognize in the collection of old black and white photos on the wall. It displayed famous people whom used to frequent the cafe. Chris was quite sure he recognized one man, with sleeked back hair in a sharp suit and pale eyes like Rhinestones. He did a double take and was gaping at what he saw.  
  
“Recognize a celebrity on the wall of fame, young man?” The old café owner chuckled as leaned against the counter, watching Chris.  “Yeah I think so, who is this?” He swallowed, pointing at Rhinestone’s doppelganger, his photo fading on the edges from old age. The owner came over to take a closer look.

“Why that’s Thomas W. Hiddleston, the second richest millionaire of his time.  
He used to frequent this café almost everyday, came alone to brood about his problems and drink coffee. I was a young boy back then, saw him every time I came in to help my father.” He explained. “He was a good looker, but a depressed man. Smoking all the time in that booth.” The owner thumbed at Rhinestone’s booth, second last in the café next to the toilet door. He committed suicide in the washroom, a bullet to his head. Wasn’t here to see it but I heard it was quite a mess.” He shook his head, sighing in thought.  
  
“Sad ain’t it, lad? A young handsome man troubled by so many rich man problems. His fiancée was a real matyr too, probably drove him mad when he was at the brink. I wasn’t surprised tho’, the 50s were gloomy times, full of depression even though it had all that glamor.” He shook his head as he went walked to get Chris’s cup from the booth he was in.

 

The fine bone cup and saucer Rhinestone used was not in his hands.

 


End file.
